Caffeinated Crystal's book reviews

Candy Hearts Anthology Vol.2 ALL I WANT IS YOU by Rye Cox Oh, this was a CUTE premise for a valentines-esque anthology. The trouble is telling you how cute it is and NOT giving away the plot. It IS only a short story with 6 chapters. Kevin is besties with Bernie. Bernie is in a frat and always cojoles Kevin into being his buddy/wingman. Through the frat activities, Kevin meets Lance, one of Bernie's frat brothers. Kevin secretly likes Lance. Lance not so secretly likes Kevin. Everyone knows, but Lance and Kevin. When a singing telegram fundraiser mission goes wrong... 👀 Like I said, this was a short little cutie. This anthology goes live on Febrary 4th, and hopefully, I'll have read a couple more shorties before then.

Ugh. I wanted to like this more than I did. I probably would have dnfed, but I have already dnfed two other books today and tried to stick it out. Especially since it's a daddy book, and those are usually my favorites. Love Me, Daddy was a great idea for a story, and it just sort of fell flat. Nathan, a homeless sex worker, gets hurt by a John. Loren stumbles upon him and helps. Loren just takes him home. Of course, he's a daddy, and of course, Nathan is a boy looking for a daddy. I don't know. It was too quick, and there weren't any real conversations and ... like I said, this one fell flat for me.

Just finished A STABLE DADDY 🧡 a daddy k!nk romance set in Australia between a widowed vet and a Texas cowboy. What starts as a rescue turned one night ✨️moment✨️ turns into more - months later when both mcs realize they've moved across the country separately. When they reconnect, almost like fate, both mcs are happy to jump into a relationship with a heavy dose of daddying. I liked Ryan. He was a bit of a mess. His realization that maybe he needed a daddy the entire time was such a sweet moment. Maddy, his late husband, also felt like an active character in the story. I like how Oscar never tried to take Maddy's place. I WANTED to like Oscar. And most of the time, I did. But a couple of times, he came off condescending as hell, and that irritated me a bit. But he saved Ryan at the Vault, and he genuinely loved him. I think my issues with Oscar may be down to the way the author wrote the character and less about the actual character. Overall, I liked Ryan and Oscar's HEA. ...

I am... UNWELL. And I can't stop crying. I can't believe the Bertha Boys series, not its real name, is finally over 😭😭😭 I've loved the Accidental Love series so much, and they've all partnered up and moved out of Bertha. I seriously can't stop crying. NOT CATCHING LOVE is out on January 30th. Xander gets his happily ever after with nurse Derek. How do I write a review without any spoilers? Xander suffers with anxiety and medical anxiety and panic attacks. All his brothers help as much as they can, but the nurse at the pharmacy, Derek, seems to be the best help when Xander has convinced himself that the latest medical issue has befallen him. <---- upon editing, I've realized this is the chuckles sentence ever, but I am emotionally devastated by the ending of this series, so just let me live. But nurses can't date patients. And Xander really needs therapy. Oh, this book. Xander is very unwell and very resistant to get help. Watching him struggle is...

It's release day for BENJI, book one of the Wylde Street Boys series. I'll be honest, I read this because it was marketed to be a daddy book, but alas, it was not. That kink was mentioned for side characters, but not the main pairing. Just a little public service announcement for you. This series will feature books for each of the three rent boys who work Wylde Street. They're besties, and it seems like their stories will be full of adventures. Benji & Nolan were basically a reimagining of Pretty Woman with crime family vibes. Nolan hits Benji with his car, takes him home to look after him, and the plot starts to roll. The two mcs have great chemistry. Nolan is likened to a Disney prince, lol, and Benji is all floppy curls and pouty lips. The smut smutted once it kicked off. I probably would have enjoyed this book WAY MORE if I wasn't waiting the entire time for Benji to throw a "daddy" out at Nolan. ✨️sighs dramatically✨️ It's fine. I'm fine, real...

I've loved the Accidental Love series so much 💛💛💛 I'm a complete sucker for the found family trope AND best friends to lovers and JUST BROMANTICALLY INVESTED has both. I'll be honest, I put off reading it because Not Catching Love felt so far away, but now that its release date is at the end of this month, I figured it was time. "I never thought ... this, us, was a possibility, but now that I'm with you, it feels like the only possibility." His hands roam from my hair and over my shoulders. "I need this." ••••• "Yeah,"' I croak. "'Me too." Madden, Bertha's resident nudist, and his best friend Penn FINALLY get their act together and realize they're head over heels for each other. Of course, it's way more than that. While Madden was absolutely pining away for his bestie - Penn really stole the show for me. There was just something so sad and lonely about him. It definitely gets brought up and resolved in t...

I just finished up Loving Leo, the latest camboy trying to get on Carter's site. Leo does ✨️solo✨️ work in places he shouldn't. The fans & subscribers like the thrill of it all. He meets Heath, the other mc, when Heath walks in on Leo filming... in Heath's office chair 👀 after hours. I won't spoil any of it. Needless to say: Heath was an interesting character. Too much for money to have much sense, but wanting to be a good person. And lord was he SAD. Like, give the guy an SSRI and a hug. Leo was the sunshine, bringing laughter and candy and sweetness and LIFE into Heath's day to day. Leo seemed like the kind of character who I'd want to be friends with. Absolutely ridiculous, sparking with vitality and shenanigans. And boy, did he fall for Heath. These two had to navigate a CEO/camboy•janitor situation. They had the whole financial disparity thing going on, and Leo refused to let Heath "save him." They also had Heath's whole "I'm str...